Appearing at York Magistrates Court this week following on from what the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is calling a “lengthy and complex investigation” by its National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), the four individuals have been charged by the CPS for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
The charges allege that defendants fraudulently passed off salmon products supplied by Bleiker’s Smoke House Ltd as Scottish salmon, when the product supplied instead consisted in full or part of Norwegian salmon.
The NFCU is now working in tandem with the CPS and Bleiker’s Smoke House Ltd as the case makes its way through the court.
The case has been committed to Teeside Crown Court in Middlesbrough, where it will be heard on 6 February.
“These offences relate to the mis-selling of Scottish salmon when allegedly they contained Norwegian Salmon between 20th August 2021 and 30th March 2022,” Andrew Cant, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service said.
“Our prosecutors have worked closely with officers of the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit who have carried out the investigation.”
He continued: “The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against these defendants are active and that they have a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
These developments mark the culmination of a long-running investigation opened in May 2022, in which the misrepresentation allegations were first made as the business collapsed into administration.
The North Yorkshire-based smokehouse was previously a supplier of fish products to major UK supermarkets and had 86 members of staff when it collapsed. It was subsequently purchased by seafood specialist, The Salmo Group in September 2022.
